Posted by KD on October 16, 2002 at 19:00:26:
4 of us took the Island Diver out of Redondo Beach on Saturday. I have to say, it was one of the most pleasant diving experiences I have ever had. It was 15 minutes from the time the boat left the dock to the dive spot. We first went out on Saturday morning. We hit the water before the sun set. The water temp was 66 degrees and the vis was about 30 feet. During the first dive a few good size bugs were caught. During the second and third dives, I saw several small Abalone and lots of scallops. I saw evidence of an octopus den (lots of broken mussels scattered all over the place), but I did not see an octopus. I must say, I didn't look too hard for it.
We decided to go back out that night to try to get more bugs. The Captain took us to a great lobster spot. During the first two dives, the vis was about 20ft, the water temp was 66 and there was little if any surge. It was the first time that I had seen the effects of bioluminescence. I am still amazed at the beauty of the ocean, day and night. We came home with a total of 17 bugs for the day.
I need to comment about the boat itself. The Island Diver is a six pack. It does not have all the extras that a boat like the Great Escape has (no food, no air fills, etc...). It is a DIVE BOAT, not a pleasure cruise. To get in the water, you can either step over the edge to get to the swim step and jump, or just roll over the side. Getting back on the boat is just as easy. Yoshi (the go to person at Rocky Point) had to pull several strings to arrange the first dive for us, since it was kind of last minute. The service that he provided was so much more than I could have expected. Since we were going back out that night, he allowed us to leave all of our gear on the boat. He took our tanks to get them filled. He even grabbed a couple extra so that we would be sure to have enough. The captain and the dive master were great. They made sure that we had a wonderful experience. I have always been told about how great the diving is off of PV, but I have never been energetic enough to tackle the steep hikes. I am glad that I was finaly able to see what everyone in the South Bay goes on and on about. This dive was definitely better than many spots that I have dived in Catalina. I encourage anyone who wants a great local dive experience to give Yoshi at Rocky Point Resorts a call.